pics from the last few days

[R A]

Maybe a few too many....

Come here mule. She's pretty used to being roped now.

Standing tied for hours.

I should use this one while roping heels in the branding pen....

replacement heifers

One hand wrestling Micki.

One hand wrestling the bull...

Hereford wool

I'd like my next Hereford bull to have bigger sticking out downed horns.

My truck brand of choice.

Where I water my cows right now. They usually drink from an automatic waterer this time of year, but I had to tear it out and sledge hammer the pad to get to a water leak under the ground.

Checking the moisture on my acorns. I have a few bags of acorns in the frig. Going to plant some from seeds in pots this spring and see what happens.

Getting ready to pour the cattle.

I like to pour them at least 4 times a year. Seems to always warm up around the first week or two of January around here for a short stretch and I always plan on looking for the best day to do it.

High-tech gate latch...they just don't hand these out....ha...

Had to take heifers to the vet to get their bangs vaccine this morning. I don't have to here in Missouri, but feel it might be a good thing to do all along here.....I don't know????

It'll be a year or two before I start riding him, but this is a future using horse in training.

Went and got the heifers.

Then put this one I was riding in the front.

I need more cattle....

I try not to wear this hat in the rain....I have two others for that. It's hard for me to find a hat that feels good....need to take care of this one. This hat was passed around for quite a few years and never wore by anybody before I got it. It's pretty old, but was like brand new when I got it. I've done stuff from Idaho to the gulf of mexico in it....

Dog pens...need to build two more houses. Took this as I was backing the trailer to unload the heifers.

Got them eating as soon as I stopped and got them unloaded.

Left the horses on the trailer to hurry up and get the hired hand eating.... The heifer I just weaned bawled in the chute and scared him at the vet, , he needed to hurry up and eat like the heifers to start getting over the stress... .

Bacon's last evening here. Had some good sunny weather for it.

We decided not to butcher Bacon and had him shrunk with some pretty high-tech technology....

Something interesting there??? I just missed capturing the rest looking.

Shoeing and trimming to do.

That's drops of wood stain, not blood....

Goats need trimmed too....

Trying out some new trimmers for their feet. Way easier than with my nippers, IMO.

 

[burnt]

Great pictures! Cute little guy!

But you GOTTA do something to calm down all them wild animals you got on the ranch! :wink:

 

[LazyWP]

Awesome pictures!! I don't if I could eat a critter that lets you rub its belly. Good looking hired man, too.

 

[Soapweed]

Great pictures, R A. If I was an animal, I would want to live at your place.

 

[Red Roan]

What part of Missourri do you live? That looks an awful lot like southern Iowa. That part of the world intrigues me with oppurtunities to boot strap an operation.

 

[alacowman]

really like those replacement heifers...

 

[katrina]

Sad day...... For bacon..... We don't eat anything that has a name around here.... It's just to hard on me....... Soooo Rambo is going to town tomorrow to be sold and so is fifty eight... Just can't do it.. And yes we have another that will take their place...

 

[gcreekrch]

Thanks for the update RA, I take it the hired man got his looks from his Mama?

 

[Nicky]

Great pictures as usual!!!! I'm with Soap on coming back as an animal at your place Pretty impressive that you can take a picture of yourself shoeing.

 

[R A]

Thanks everyone! I love this way of life and love taking care of animals!

That new little mini pot bellied pig is making the Bacon ordeal go smoother. We got her monday night. We didn't know they were going to have one that looked so much like him. Nice to have a pig now that is staying for good....she's a hoot!


I jokinly asked the people at the butcher if they would laugh if I started crying as I was opening the trailer latch.... I didn't though....luckily... They all knew how it is and one guy told me about their butcher pig Betty that was hard to do it to. I do feel good having just completed what we started with him. He was destined to be a butcher pig somewhere and I feel he had a good time here. Looking forward to feeding out the next one now. I'm really liking getting more into self sustainable living!

What part of Missourri do you live? That looks an awful lot like southern Iowa. That part of the world intrigues me with oppurtunities to boot strap an operation.

I'm real close to Iowa and I-35....so yeah, just a lot like southern Iowa. I grew up in SW Iowa. I really like it around here and southern Iowa. I wanted to go up north or out west to build what I'm building, but didn't think I could???? I just had my place appraised and it appraised for twice what I paid in '07. I should sell out and live in town...

Thanks for the update RA, I take it the hired man got his looks from his Mama?

Yep! I searched all over and finally found a could of been model that is legally blind.... It's nice when the hired help gain neck control....

 

[Faster horses]

Looks like everything has a good time at your place. I always enjoy
your pictures......wish you hadn't posted a picture of poor old Bacon
though........ ........... :wink:

 

[MO_cows]

Another fun set of pics! I really like how you are schooling that young horse, not just try to do everything at once when they are old enough to ride. He will have a real solid foundation.

Don't feel bad for Bacon. You gave him a comfortable, great life, better than 99.9% of his kind. And once you get him back in little packages, you'll see that he simply fulfilled his destiny.

My vet always tries to talk us out of the bangs vaccination because we don't need it in Missouri. But it's sure a lot easier if you sell them, they can travel anywhere and there is no question about their status.

Are you near the conservation department land up there where they "reintroduced" the bison, outside of Eagleville? Looks like the exact same kind of country. Love those rolling hills and the soil is real good too.

 

[Red Roan]

[I really like it around here and southern Iowa. I wanted to go up north or out west to build what I'm building, but didn't think I could????]

I'm starting to realize that you need to make the area your in home. I'm a displaced South Dakotan that spent 4 years living just NE of Justin's ranch and I thought that was home. We moved back to Iowa (wife's home neighborhood) and have had a tough time adjusting at first am starting to realize that I can't make this NW SD but can make it home. Been doing some research into southern Iowa as every inch of pasture in this neighborhood is becoming corn and I have and always will be a cowman. I've been told by many successful farmers/ranchers that said they ended up where they were because of the oppurtunity, not because it was the perfect match to everything they wanted. Looks like you've got a plan in mind. The perfect setup is where you make it.

 

[Faster horses]

This reminds me of the old saying, "bloom where you're planted".

We have had to ranch in other areas besides where our family was/is
as the price of land there was way out of our reach when we were
trying to put something together, so I know what you are saying,
red roan. Another old saying, "where there's a will, there's a way."
Good luck to you!

 

[R A]

Looks like everything has a good time at your place. I always enjoy
your pictures......wish you hadn't posted a picture of poor old Bacon
though........ ........... :wink:

Thanks! Sank in a little more he was gone when I went to do the next round of chores that night.... Nobody told me ranching and living off the land was going to be this tough.... Really, this Bacon deal is part of it....and more easily accepted than some things I've gone through already raising cattle and horses. It's kinda funny, I've taken things as a sign along the way and changed goals from what just happened and things have always gotten a lot easier?????

 

[R A]

Another fun set of pics! I really like how you are schooling that young horse, not just try to do everything at once when they are old enough to ride. He will have a real solid foundation.

Don't feel bad for Bacon. You gave him a comfortable, great life, better than 99.9% of his kind. And once you get him back in little packages, you'll see that he simply fulfilled his destiny.

My vet always tries to talk us out of the bangs vaccination because we don't need it in Missouri. But it's sure a lot easier if you sell them, they can travel anywhere and there is no question about their status.

Are you near the conservation department land up there where they "reintroduced" the bison, outside of Eagleville? Looks like the exact same kind of country. Love those rolling hills and the soil is real good too.

Thanks!

I quit riding outside horses because of the way I like to break them. For some reason I took in two the year before last and remembered how bad I don't like time restraints. I can do it, but don't like it and worry everyday how they are getting along with them because I wasn't satisfied when they had to go. My ground work goes on in a certain way for 3 or 4 years, then I ride them.

Eagleville is north of me a little ways. I haven't heard or know anything about the bison. That doesn't mean anything though. I heard talk at a store awhile back they want to put elk in around here, but don't think they would do well...maybe just rumors???

 

[R A]

[I really like it around here and southern Iowa. I wanted to go up north or out west to build what I'm building, but didn't think I could????]

I'm starting to realize that you need to make the area your in home. I'm a displaced South Dakotan that spent 4 years living just NE of Justin's ranch and I thought that was home. We moved back to Iowa (wife's home neighborhood) and have had a tough time adjusting at first am starting to realize that I can't make this NW SD but can make it home. Been doing some research into southern Iowa as every inch of pasture in this neighborhood is becoming corn and I have and always will be a cowman. I've been told by many successful farmers/ranchers that said they ended up where they were because of the oppurtunity, not because it was the perfect match to everything they wanted. Looks like you've got a plan in mind. The perfect setup is where you make it.

Yep, I know what you mean! I have no desire to farm and grass was all going under, trees being tore out and land going way up there in sw Iowa. To make a long story as short as I can.....I looked in on going north or west....rode some gov. range, went with a water master for a creek and got a taste of how that goes and how nice the ones with the highest water rights have it, just drove around different states with no place to be, spent hours on the internet, etc....ended up going to south MO for a short stretch..... I liked it down there a lot, but I wasn't going to be able to keep having stock....started looking for places in SE Neb, NE Kansas, and NW Missouri and landed here. I had $20 to my name and nobody would loan us money for anything over 10 acres. We split the house and 10 acres off the rest of the ground and put the biggest amount we could with it....got a loan for it with a $500 dollar down payment, which I had to go borrow...lol. That made the rest of the ground WAY less than what it was worth then, a lot less now...and was able to get a loan for it since there was so much of it that seemed to be paid for already. That's how I ended up here....roughly, without typing everything...lol. Nothing felt right until getting here. We have relatives a hour an a half away. Didn't know anybody around here. I feel like I don't want another place now. I need very little outside my fences to run my cows. It's going to be a challege for me to grow, but I think I will do it slowly. I'm just tickled to death I'm able to do what I'm doing now with what I have now!!!

 

[Red Roan]

Good for you, seems that we have had the same type experiences. It's like walking to the neighbors after your pickup gets stuck and no cell coverage, one step at a time. Thanks for the look into your part of the world.

 

[R A]

Yep, just like that!... That reminds me of having to ride my horse home a few times from team ropings because my piece of a truck at the time would break down....one step at a time. Only team roped one summer. I appreciate you added in on the welder thread and this one! Lots of neat country in south Iowa. I wish ya luck whatever you do!